"Egypt insists on sending fuel through the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing, citing old international understandings which limit the use of Egypt's Rafah terminal with Gaza to the movement of passengers only.

"Hamas objects. It is opposed to giving its foe Israel the opportunity to block supplies in times of tension and wants direct trade with Egypt, a move that could strengthen Gaza's economy and Hamas's popularity."

AEP Formalizes Plant Closures, Power Grid Trouble Ahead? (US)"AEP further noted that these retiring units were required to run to meet peak demand last summer and it warns that there is little new generation is scheduled to come on-line prior to the retirement dates that will replace the lost capacity."

Electricity rates to rise 9% in April (Israel)"Household electricity rates will increase 8.9% in April, to 51.11 agorot per kilowatt-hour for households before VAT, the Public Utility Commission - Electricity announced yesterday."The state will also provide support for the Israel Electric Corporation, which is facing severe financial problems. The company will also be required to take efficiency measures and cut operating costs."Prolonged blackouts loom in Metro Manila (Philippines)"A key transformer broke down last night, rendering a huge part of Metro Manila without electricity that could last for days, the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said."

"In its annual report for 2011, issued on Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released a startling report revealing that 52 percent of all the assets held by the entire banking industry have now become aggregated into the hands of just five companies, and the top 10 institutions have swollen so large that they possess wealth that equates to roughly half of America's annual gross domestic product (GDP)."

Millionaires add to their ranks"The number of millionaire households rose by 200,000 to hit 8.2 million in 2011, according to new research by the Spectrem Group. These folks had at least a million dollars in assets, not including their primary residence."

IRS may share tax info with police to fight fraud"A surge in tax refund fraud and identity theft has prompted the Internal Revenue Service to consider sharing more tax return information with police, a senior official told a congressional hearing on Tuesday."

"The scrubbed material included photographs of Bales from the military's official photo and video distribution website, along with quotes by the 38-year-old sergeant in the Joint Base Lewis-McChord newspaper regarding a 2007 battle in Iraq 'which depicts Bales and other soldiers in a glowing light.'"